There is something rotten in NYC the Big Apple Knitting Guild has become a wormy apple.
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Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Secrets and Lies--a long awaited Financial Report

is sort of available.I say 'sort of" because:There is document available--A secret-- not to be shared with members(--pesky members, thinking they should have a say in how thing or run or be owed any information about what their money is being used for)document.(read to the end to find out how you can get your very own copy of this secret document!)It is an UNSIGNED document, (that is, no one has put their name to it…So it is unclear who prepared it--that’s a secret, too, I guess) that is pretending to be a Financial report of the BAKG (note, it is not, nor does it claim to be, a Treasurer’s Report!)

It has an end date, (as of November 2006,) but not a start date.If a ninth grader handed in a report like this for homework,--that is, unsigned, and with out a start date and an end date--(and preparing a simple Treasurer’s Report, is part of 9th grade math) they would receive a failing grade.Should we expect less from BAKG leadership (a word used rather loosely in this context!) than is expected from a 13 to 14 year old? I don‘t think so!But that is not the most glaring thing about this document..One of the first things that caught the Pip’s eye wasBalance carried forward in January 2006-- $13,829.00Wait! The “financial report” hand out dated August 2005 showed a “balance” of $20,270.00 (and showed the BAKG as operating in the black, (with income!)

But 5 months later, there is $6,441 less money!(what you don’t still have a copy of the August 2005 “Financial Report”?No matter, you can see ithereJust where did $6,441 go?!What ever did we spend $6000 on? How did we lose more than $6000 in 4 months!?(There is just no accounting for it-- Literally or figuratively!)

Do you think, (as I do,) that maybe the August 2005 report had puffed up numbers to make the report look good and silence people who demanded a treasurers report before the elections?

And now, they are being forced to admit, the August 2005 report was phonied up.NO WONDER THIS NEW FINANCIAL REPORT A SECRET DOCUMENT!Of course, they want you to believe this new report (this, still officially secret, report!), that this report is, um, TOTALLY ACCURATE.(just trying saying that with a straight face!)

And they want you to forget that this report, is brought to you by the same, um, PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN that phonied up the August 2005 report! But Wait, there is more!There is this item: Meetings $1,997!So lets figure this out. There are 2 meeting are Charity meeting at Mickie’s house (does she charge for use? I don’t think so!), 2 meeting are “off site” , (the luncheon and the retreat.) and no meeting for August. Out of 12 months, we meet at LGCC 7 times a year.So, $1, 997.00 / 7=$285 cost per meeting!Gee, those must be some meeting!We must have high price speakers, and refreshments. NOT.So what is $285 per meeting paying for? Do you know?(maybe cab fairs for Madam President and her entourage? )

Helen, Nancy and Barbara presented a “share the talent meeting’--they were comp’d nothing for their effort. (so there is one meeting that had little or no cost. )Did Elaine and Raye get paid big bucks when they did their share the talent presentation in May? (and if they did, why did they get comp’d when Nancy, Barbara and Helen didn’t? --there isn’t one set of rules and reg’s for FOC, and another for others, is there? )Does Barbara Kerr get comp’d for the membership project meeting?(and is so, how much, and why don’t other members get comp’d when they run a presentation at a meeting?)If these members’ didn’t get comp’d for presentation, just what costs are there for meetings?Can you tell me, Madam President and Madam Treasurer,( and the members), please, just what we are spending $285 a meeting on? (for sure, this "Report" doesn't explain!)

At last report, the room at the LGCC cost $75.If it really cost $285, we could be getting a ball room in a Manhattan hotel for 4 hour for that much money! So exactly what does the room cost us?

Shouldn’t that basic information be available in a treasurers report?Shouldn’t there be some explanation of what we are spending $1,997 ($285 a meeting!) on?

As of November 2006 we had 2 workshops (September 16, Nov 14) Expenses for these workshops?$721 (2 room rentals, 2 instructors fees.. $721???)What is the room fee? Is it the same $75? Or more? $100? ($200 for 2 workshops?)And instructors fees? $125 to $150 is about normal for a 4 hour workshop.(this is bases on publicly available information from speakers like Anne Modisett and others who post their fees on their blog/web pages. )If we are paying more, you have to ask why?

And what are the OTHER expenses?In 2005 there were $957 worth, this report shows $403.$400 on What? What are the other expenses?Are there receipts for these expenses?EVERY PENNY-after 17 months its not unreasonable to expect every penny to be accounted for.$400 of unaccounted for OTHER just doesn’t cut it.

As this PIP read the report, and it seems as if numbers where picked up out of the air.

Some things, like the Hurricane Katrina fund where collected in November of 2005 and (should have been!) dispersed in 2005, so what are they doing in a 2006 report?(padding it?)

Look in the March/April issue of City Purls, and the minutes note that the guild had received a receipt from Habitat for Humanity.. (by Feb 11th meeting date.)Making it seem all the more evident that the donation properly belongs in the 2005 accounting.

We wait 16 months, and get dished up a mess of numbers that have no details, no explanations on how they were arrived at, and no one accepting accountability for the report! There are months of information are missing, and $6000, too!

Do you think this document is doctored? --just like the August 2005 one clearly was?And the August 2005 clearly was doctored, --how else can you explain “a Balance of $20,270 in August” and “a balance carried forward of $13,829”a scant 4 months later?

Remember HG and other members made a stink about an election being held with not Treasurers report available. That document that came out, the August 2005 document, and it purported to showed good stewardship.

Do you think Madam President would have been re-elected if members saw a $6,441 loss to the clubs reserve fund? Do you think the August 2005 report was a bit self serving?

And given, that the August 2005 document was filled with lies, (and what else could it have been if 4 months later the balance carried forward was $6,441 less!?) on what basis should we accept the SECRET November 2006 document as being a true picture of the BAKG finances?

What are we to make of this secret document?It this document just another lie to shut up HG and the Pip and other members?

Moneys come and go, details remain elusive.It’s easier to pull teeth than to get a proper accounting.

The mess of number is just that, a mess of numbers.It can be called a lot of things, but a treasurers report? Hardly.

It doesn’t even claim to be a Treasurer’s Report!After 17 months this is the best that they can come up with?

This is an accounting? This is a FARSE!

And why is this document being kept secret from the members?Maybe they are afraid to be questioned about these numbers?

Maybe they realize that you can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME.

And there are a group of members who aren’t going to be fooled by this.

Are you fooled? This PipSqueek isn’t.And who receives the Bank Statements?

(and what proof does anyone have that the stated balance is the actual balance? )Has anyone on the Board, beside Madam President ever seen the Bank statements?

Do you want to believe the people who are trying to dish up this mess and call it a report?I don’t.

Do you want a copy-an error ridden copy of the secret document? Send an email to:a_pip_squeek@yahoo.com (note: there are _(underscores) between a and pip, and pip and squeek)

And remember, August 2005 report is available at the link above.

Don’t trust me, ask me to verify.. I will send you the same document I recieved.

What about the Board?Will they come clean?Will they show where these numbers came from?Will the show bank statements, and canceled checks?Will they ever account to us, what they are doing with our money?Or will they operate in secret, and continue to lie to us?They will if you let them. Don’t let them.

Why don’t you send a copy of this posting to Madam President and to Madam Treasurer and let them know, You are fed up and not going to stand for this any longer.

Just highlight the address, and hit Control and C together to copy it,then hit the envelop icon belowIn the new window that opens up,Paste the address into the TO: field by hitting Control and V.Add your comments, and hit the send button.Do it now.

3 Comments:

I may be confused,since the form is nothing like any accouting system I have ever seen, but the preliminary report a few members were shown on November 1st showed a balance of over $20,000. What expenses occured in this month? Are they just trying to make up numbers that we will believe ?

Hpny knits is right, anyone, in this case let's say TREASURER in their right mind would keep very detailed notes and keep track of every dollar spent of an organization's money. After all, it isn't their own money. They would do this so that they could not be accused of something in the future. If everything has been done in good faith, then nobody should refuse to show detailed accounts in order to clear their names....